Grading The First Half Of The Miami Hurricanes Season
The Miami Hurricanes currently sit in the No. 6 spot in the Assoiacted Press Polls and the USA Today's Coaching Poll and yet, something still seems off about this team.
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They are great at certain things but they also lack a few key things that could push this team into that national championship tier with No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Ohio State. They could win the ACC and make a run in the College Football Playoff, but they have yet to play championship-level football which has always been the goal for this iteration of the Canes.
Quarterback Cam Ward is everything that the Hurricanes have asked for. He has been the best quarterback in the country so far this season and is in a prime position to make a run at the Heisman trophy.
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There have been some gunslinger traits that have caused some to be concerned about his play. Bad interceptions have been some of the negatives in his play. He does tend to hold on to the ball longer than some would hope but his play-making ability is so special that he gets away with it. Only a special few can.
Xavier Restrepo is turning into the greatest Hurricane receiver in front of everyone's eyes. He has the chance to break every receiver record by the end of the season and boost his draft stock. The only one he will have the most trouble with is the 11 TDs led Micheal Irvin has over him. It is not impossible but there is a chance that he and Ward could become can't miss television.
READ MORE: Xavier Restrepo Is On Pace To Be The Greatest Wide Receiver In Hurricanes History
Everything else has had question marks surrounding it.
Coaching has been better than last season, however, there are still times when the feeling of, 'what are they doing' comes across people's minds.
The defense was one of the positives last season. Now, they struggle to tackle and stop big plays. They are one of the worst teams in the country in allowing big plays. Add the tackling issues, and this team has found itself in positions where they have had to pull rabbit tricks out of a hat or even questionable referees to save drives.
The secondary is on its last legs trying to find anyone who can play the position to be placed back there. The injuries have decimated the group who are now looking for production from the freshmen and sophomores.
The offensive line has not been as dominant as some may have hoped. Senior Jalen Rivers has missed most of the season after an impressive first game. The return of the star player could boost the line to its former glory. It has been good but the line could easily be dominating the trenches.
That also plays a factor in the running game. It has not been what many expected it to be with all of the key additions. They have the talent but the scheming players for different styles of running does not highlight their best attributes. Damien Martinez doesn't have the burst needed out of an RPO/Shotgun style of scheme. That favors backs like Mark Fletcher Jr. Ajay Allen, Noah Lyle, and Chris Johnson Jr. This still causes many people to have concerns about the Hurricanes and their ability to play smash-mouth football and win the game that way.
GRADE: B+
It's been good, but the team has put itself in many positions where they needed to create some of the greatest moments in program history for it not to happen. These things can hold teams back from truly reaching the promised land and holding up the national championship at the end of the year.
If they can clean up their act, this team has all the potential to win it all and remain undefeated.
